Thursday, October 09, 2008

I'm not sure how Kansas Football fans started the chant, "Rip His F'ing Head Off!" (taken from the movie Waterboy), but it's safe to say that they're rethinking it now that ESPN's cameras are coming to town. KU's student paper, Daily Kansan, is spearheading a plan to get the chant banned and so far it's been met with mixed reviews. From the KC Star via Wiz of Odds....

Ever since the chant began years ago — based off a line from the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy, “The Waterboy” — Leddy’s has been the prevailing logic. But this week, Vineyard and the rest of the KU students are going to hear a different message about the potentially embarrassing chant as the Jayhawks’ home game against Colorado on ESPN2 approaches.

KU senior Matt Erickson, the editor of the University Daily Kansan, is leading a student-driven initiative to stop the chant. Last Friday, Erickson met with associate athletic director for external relations Jim Marchiony, director of university relations Todd Cohen, student body president Adam McGonigle and linebacker Mike Rivera, among others, to come up with a fresh game plan.

“The administration can talk about how it’s hurting the university’s image, how we shouldn’t do it,” said Erickson, an Olathe native, “but a lot of college students have the mentality that they’re not going to listen to what authorities say. We thought if some students stepped out, that would have more influence.”

Erickson has been going to KU games since his freshman year. He says the chant existed then, but it wasn’t very loud or organized. Of course, times have changed. The Jayhawks are defending Orange Bowl champions, hosting nationally televised games, and the student section is packed. The chant can be heard on TV, and, after Colorado, all three of the Jayhawks’ remaining home games have potential for a national broadcast.

I'm all for fans doing or saying whatever they want at a Football game, but that one is certainly a bit over-the-top. It's one thing if it's just in the student section, but when families and little kids hear that stuff, that's when I think somebody should step in. Here's a brief, albeit a NSFW one, of the chant....

Seems relatively contained, but we'll see if the movement takes hold this Saturday.

The one thing I hated most about the University of Maryland was the crappy, NSFW cheers that the majority of the student section always thought were hilarious. I used to stop going to games sometimes because I didn't want to be one of those a-holes.

Who are all you prudes? Jesus Christ! It's a college football game. It's not illegal, what are they going to do? You can't stop it - you can only hope to shame them, and it's making you look like Grandma.